Chapter 7: Four Bourbon Trends to Keep Your 👀 On

While bourbon is a strictly defined category of whiskey, there are some things that distilleries can do to make their product stand out. Now that you have the basics, here are some of the most popular trends in bourbon right now, along with some tips on how to keep up with them.

Barrel Proofing
This is one of the most popular with bourbon fans. Typically, the whiskey is cut to proof with water before bottling, meaning that the ABV is lowered to a minimum of 40%. This increases the amount of whiskey available for bottling, and softens the palate for your average drinker. But it also reduces some of the flavor, so barrel-proof is bourbon that has not been watered down before bottling, and is the closest you can come to drinking straight from the cask. Sometimes it’s even unfiltered, and you’ll find a bit of char in the bottle or your glass. Proof can range as high as 130 or more, so sometimes it’s wise to add a bit of water yourself, but this way you can control the ABV. Booker’s is a good example of a barrel-proof bourbon.

Cask Finishing
Another trend in which bourbon is moved into a secondary barrel for a period of time after the initial maturation. These can be rum, port, sherry, wine or any other type of cask–the point is to add another layer of flavor to the palate. Angel’s Envy is a brand that deals exclusively in cask-finished bourbon, with the core expression spending months in port pipes after it’s mature.

Bottled in Bond
A popular designation these days, meaning the bourbon is at least four years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distilling season. The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was originally meant to regulate whiskey at a time when unscrupulous producers were adding things to the bottle that you really wouldn’t want to consume. Nowadays, it’s really more of a marketing point, although it usually does indicate good bourbon. Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon, produced by Jim Beam, is an inexpensive but dependable example to try.

Single Barrel Bourbons
These bourbons are bottled from just one barrel instead of a batch of hundreds. The interesting thing about single barrel releases is that each barrel will yield slightly different flavors, so it can be fun to try some side-by-side. Four Roses has a Single Barrel line that is worth checking out, and will usually cost less than $50 for a bottle.

These are all trends worth exploring as you embark upon your journey into advanced bourbon sipping, and will help you to understand the category even more. And there are plenty of resources available to expand your bourbon knowledge. 

Gear Patrol has some excellent coverage of brown spirits, as do websites like Breaking Bourbon and Bourbon & Banter. If you enjoy listening to podcasts, check out Bourbon Pursuit. And the written word is more your style, Reid Mitenbuler’s Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey is an enjoyable and informative read.

Thanks for joining us on this exploration of the facts and trends that make bourbon so interesting, not to mention delicious, and we hope this has been informative. And most importantly, have fun and drink your bourbon any way you like it.

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